How Australia’s biggest brands made disability visible

People with disabilities make up almost 20% of the population in Australia. Yet in advertising, they are only represented 1% of the time.

In an iconic and influential moment for advertising, ten of the country’s most well known brands came together in support of disability representation to launch the Unignorable Adbreak, created by Special Group through Revolver.

Featuring both talent and crew with disability, the campaign, directed by The Glue Society, involved the re-shooting of key scenes in the brands’ advertising to include a person with a disability.  

It also marked the launch of the Shift 20 Initiative, a movement led by the Dylan Alcott Foundation (Dylan Alcott is an Australian former wheelchair tennis player and motivational speaker), which is focused on increasing disability representation, inclusion and accessibility in Australian advertising and media. 

The altered spots from ANZ, AAMI, Bonds, Kia, McDonalds, Oral-B, nib, Pantene, Uber, and Weet-Bix™ ran in the lead up to Sunday 17th September, and culminated in a complete media roadblock during prime time news and current affairs program, the Sunday Project. 

shots spoke to creative directors at Special, Peter Cvetkovski and Adam Ferrie to find out more about the campaign. 

How did the idea for this project come about?

Ferrie: The idea was inspired by Dylan Alcott's lived experience as a kid, never seeing people like him on TV. And when he did, it was in a road accident commercial - someone with a disability as a result of drink-driving, shown as a deterrent. Importantly, these ads are not something being done on ‘behalf’ of disabled people but rather being done with, and by them. They aren't a story about someone’s disability, they’re everyday ads that now include people with disability living their lives and doing everyday things. It’s an important distinction and an important shift in the right direction.

It was imperative that this did not just become a flash in the pan moment, or an opportunity to ‘virtue signal’.

Cvetkovski : When we first started talking to Alcott about the serious lack of under representation in advertising, we knew this couldn’t simply be an awareness job. We needed to do something bold that made a statement, and more importantly, created real change with an ongoing impact. It was imperative that this did not just become a flash in the pan moment, or an opportunity to ‘virtue signal’ but rather, to get brands involved and commit to working towards increasing representation, inclusion and accessibility for people with disability.

Why do you think there is so little representation of disability in advertising? What could brands be doing better?

Cvetkovski: We know that whilst brands want to include people with disability in their ads, they are sometimes scared they’ll get it wrong – so they don’t. However, when brands include people with disability, it starts conversations.

Together with the brands, we had to cast outside traditional channels of casting and talent agencies and reach out to communities.

Ferrie: Making a start and working with the community is how we’ll get there together and create a more inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.

How did you go about casting disabled actors? What have you and your team learned from working with a diverse cast?

Ferrie: It was integral to the idea we show a range of people with visible and non-visible disability within the spread of brand adverts, but also mindful the talent had to work with the idea within the current spot. Consequently, we wanted to show how someone with a disability could easily play the same role.

Cvetkovski: Traditionally, there hasn't been a pathway for people with disability to get into our casting reels. As a result, the talent pool is quite small. An issue we think most agencies and brands face when it comes to casting inclusive talent. Therefore, together with the brands, we had to cast outside traditional channels of casting and talent agencies and reach out to communities as well as partner organisations to use alternative means to find our talent.

 These ads are not something being done on ‘behalf’ of disabled people but rather being done with, and by them.

For Weet-Bix we discovered Eva, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy, through a news article about her achieving her dream of climbing Mt Kosciuszko and reached out to her and her family. As a result of being part of this campaign, Eva is now a brand ambassador and a Weet-Bix kid. Lara Nakhle, Singer Songwriter who is blind, came through AAMI’s connection with Vision Australia and Carols by Candlelight, where she performs regularly. Next time you hear the AAMI jingle on TV, you’ll hear Lara’s amazing voice singing the iconic brand mnemonic. For KIA we cast actual Wheelchair Basketball players through Basketball NSW. And for ANZ we included someone who is a pharmacist by trade, as well as a model and disability advocate, with no prior acting experience.

This campaign shows that by casting a wide net and involving a diverse group of people with disability, it paves the way for new opportunities in modelling, acting and performance, which will ultimately grow the talent pool.

In what way did this campaign differ from shooting a regular TVC?

Ferrie: We were taking existing, well known ads and replacing the talent in one scene.

It was about replicating that scene as closely as possible to ensure a seamless transition. So, when you see them side by side, they’re identical except for the fact that the talent was replaced.

 When it came to creating impact, we knew the more brands we could get on board the more powerful this moment and step forward for the industry would become.

Cvetkovski: We discovered when working with talent and crew with a disability, there are allowances and adjustments to keep in mind throughout the process to help people with disability do their job safely, effectively, and to the best of their ability. This includes having considerate timelines in place throughout the production, preparing your documents and casting briefs in accessible formats, ensuring the venue is accessible for the talent and that all cast and crew use language that is inclusive, along with other considerations.

What was it like, logistically, to work with so many brands for one project? How did you get them all on board?

Ferrie: So, we used every means possible to reach out to the decision makers of Australia’s biggest brands, inviting them to come together for a round-table pitch, where we presented this bold opportunity for them as a collective to come together to help shift the needle of disability representation. The response was overwhelming with the majority of the brands signing up on the spot and once this momentum built, others quickly followed.

Sometimes marketers are reluctant to work with people with disabilities purely because they fear they’ll get it wrong, but this type of thinking only perpetuates the issue.

Cvetkovski : It was like having 10 clients all working together towards a shared outcome at one time, but also working individually with the partner brands on their spots. This meant that everything was multiplied: every update, every development. The great thing was that each and every brand was aligned in a shared objective.

With our partnering brands onboard, we determined which ads each of them were planning to run at the time of launch. We then worked in tight collaboration with our production partners, The Glue Society and Revolver on which scene from each selected spot would be replaced. Here, Glue Society and Revolver’s scope and expertise truly shone through, coordinating a perfectly executed shoot plan and schedule to capture multiple brand spot reshoots over a two day period.

What advice would you give to a brand wanting to improve the disability representation in their advertising, but aren’t sure where to start?

Ferrie: Start with your storytelling. This includes considering authentic narratives, talent selection and crew selection that will help bring each story to life.

Also, cast outside traditional channels of casting and talent agencies and reach out to communities as well as partner organisations to use alternative means to find your talent.

We’ve been overwhelmed with approaches from other brands showing their support and eager to get on board inspired to be a part of the change.

Cvetkovski : We encourage brands to look at their communications with diverse audiences in mind. This may be through brand communications, website, social media and other mediums.

Sometimes marketers are reluctant to work with people with disabilities purely because they fear they’ll get it wrong, but this type of thinking only perpetuates the issue. Any step forward is a shift towards creating a more inclusive future. Oh, and sign up to the Shift 20 Initiative.

What was the most rewarding part?

Ferrie: Normally, rewards come at the end, but with this project every day brought rewards from the moment it began. From initial conversations and responses from brands, to the support and enthusiasm from production partners, to connecting with talent and their elation that there was a change coming and the fact the industry was rallying with them.

Together, we can shift the dial towards a more accurate representation of the wider population by 2028.

Cvetkovski: It's mind-blowing to see the outpouring of support from the brands this initiative has ignited. We’ve been overwhelmed with approaches from other brands showing their support and eager to get on board inspired to be a part of the change.

It’s also hugely rewarding to read all the heartfelt comments on social media from the families of people with disability and how this campaign affected them personally. This truly demonstrates the positive impact this initiative has had on people’s lives.